Bushﬁre Management: Balancing the Risks

Friday 21 – Saturday 22 July 2017

This event was a community symposium to discuss research, strategies and expectations for fire management in the ACT in a changing environment and was a huge success.

Please see the Symposium Communiqué here. The Communiqué was developed during the later part of the symposium and refined following the many contributions at that time. While it addresses many of the issues and topics of the Symposium, the event publication available online covers the detail of many of the contributions at the event.

Christine Goonrey- Bushfire Symposium Convenor, Member Bushfire Council, Vice-President, National Parks Association of the ACT – writes:

“Over two days over 110 people gathered to discuss fire management. The Symposium was attended by a mix of experts, researchers, Government officials, the ACT Minister for Environment who is also Minister for Emergency Services, the Commissioner of the Emergency Services Agency, the Conservator of Flora and Fauna, Parkcare / landcare volunteers, rural leaseholders, members of the Rural Fire Service, Community Fire Units, environment organisations and officers from Victoria’s Country Fire Service.

The symposium identified what has changed over the past ten years and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead. The ESA Commissioner identified the event as the start of the process for community engagement on the next Strategic Bushfire Management Plan which is due to be completed by 2019.. A learning network is being established so interested people can keep up to date as that process unfolds.”

See the program here.

A community symposium to discuss research, strategies and expectations for fire management in the ACT in a changing climate

Themes include:

Law and legislation: what is the legal setting for bushfire management in the ACT?
Understanding hazards and risks: what data and modelling do we rely on to understand fire hazards and risks?
Values: what social, economic and personal values do we bring to fire management?
Mitigating hazards and risks: knowing our risk models and our values, what mitigation strategies do we turn to? What have we learned from past bushfires and prescribed burning? How do we measure reduction of risks?
Linking research and management: how is current research changing our options?
Environmental risks and climate change: as if it wasn’t complicated enough already, how do we deal with new and complex problems presented by climate change?
Indigenous fire management: how do we incorporate the sophisticated fire management used by indigenous people into current fire management practices?
Wildland/urban interface: as the ‘bush capital’ how does the ACT deal with its special interest in balancing fire management, urban development, conservation and recreation; including consideration of fire prone urban areas; FarmFirewise; asset protection zones?
Fire impacts: what public accountability is needed when fire management impacts on water, vegetation, weeds, fauna, insects and people, eg smoke impact on health?
Shared responsibility: what is our shared responsibility for managing fire hazards and risks? How can the community interact effectively with fire management planning?